12 Angry Jurors
Hawks & Reed, Greenfield
Opens Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Weekend performances through Sunday May 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Intense drama unfolds as 12 jurors, sequestered in a room, deliberate the fate of a young inner-city teen accused of murder. With a guilty verdict meaning death, tensions run high as doubts about the case emerge. Personal struggles and conflicting beliefs threaten to disrupt the deliberation process, making every moment crucial in determining the boy’s destiny. Don’t miss this thought-provoking exploration of justice, prejudice, and the power of human empathy. Presented by Greenfield’s Arena Civic Theatre.
Indie Bookstore Day 2024
Odyssey Bookshop
Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Indie Bookstore Day was established in 2013 to promote, celebrate, and highlight the value of the independent bookstore community. This year there are over 900 stores participating across the country, including Odyssey Bookshop where you will find author appearances, activities for kids, 20% off all new books and more.
The Hilltown Draw-Around
The Cowell Gym, Shelburne Falls
Saturday, April 27 from noon to midnight
An idea borrowed from the New Orleans Draw-A-Thon, the Hilltown Draw-Around is 12 hours of community connections, creative risk taking, and ephemeral whimsy. The presenters from The Art Garden cover the floor and walls of the Cowell Gym with repurposed paper and provide all sorts of mark making devices, prompts, and inspirations then invite everyone in to collaborate on an always surprising, slightly chaotic, and very temporary public art installation. It’s a pay-what-you-can, draw-where-you-want fundraiser for youth programs at The Art Garden with workshops, food, local music, and more.
Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail
Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The annual Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail is a tour of eight studios with 20+ nationally recognized potters. The free, self-guided tour winds along the beautiful back roads and scenic historic towns and celebrates the rich agricultural history and cultural vitality of our area, as well as the timeless connection between pottery and food.
Springfield Local Author Book Fair
Springfield City Library, 220 State Street
Saturday, April 27 from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Meet recently published authors and enjoy their works in this showcase of local talent and achievement. Authors will be on-hand to meet the public, discuss their books, and sell and sign copies. Find your next great read, chat with authors and and mingle with other book lovers who share your passion for reading. Also, there will be a very large book sale in the community room with pricing of $2 a bag for books, CDs, and DVDs.
Doodles & Donuts with Cece Bell
Bombyx, Florence
Saturday, April 27 at 5:30 p.m.
Join High Five Books and award-winning author, illustrator and graphic novelist Cece Bell for an early evening family art and music extravaganza—with hot, fresh donuts! The beloved creator of #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning El Deafo and many other books that young people adore will lead artists and readers through the process of creating her latest all-ages alphabet book Animal Albums from A to Z, a hand-wrought, high-fidelity, hilariously tongue-in-cheek homage to the golden days of album cover art. Plus, Wake the Dead Donuts will have fresh mini donuts and donut sundaes for sale.
Herblore: Ancestral Plant Storytelling
The Clark, Williamstown
Saturday, April 27 at 6 p.m.
Brooke Bridges, Twink Williams Burns, and Rebecca Guanzon share intimate stories about their relationships with the land and their ancestors. Although the three women come from different backgrounds and grew up across the country, the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans and the plants that grow in the Berkshires are key to their herbal journeys and healing pathways. Gather around a bonfire and sip tea blends created by the herbalists. Stay after the readings for an intimate conversation with the panelists to hear more about their experiences as practicing herbalists.
Pittsfield CityJazz Festival
From Rags to Rhythm to Duke Featuring: The Marcus Roberts Trio
The Colonial Theater, Pittsfield
Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
The grand finale of the 2024 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival will immerse the audience in the captivating performance of The Marcus Robert Trio, showcasing the brilliance of one of the foremost pianists of his generation. The trio will present a diverse musical journey, featuring Marcus Robert’s original 12-movement anthology, “From Rags to Rhythm,” alongside a special tribute to Duke Ellington on the occasion of his 125th birthday. This final concert of the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival will also showcase The Berkshires Jazz All Star Youth Ensemble.
Regional Youth Poetry Slam Competition
The Academy of Music, Northampton
Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
After a robust debut last year, the Regional Youth Poetry Slam for area high school students in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties returns. Twenty poets have been selected to compete in three elimination slam rounds with cash prizes for the top three winners. Hosted by national award-winning slam poet, Lyrical Faith, this event shines a spotlight on future voices of spoken word. Sponsored by Smith College and presented by the Academy of Music.
UMass Concert Band
Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
The UMass Concert Band performs its spring concert, including classic and contemporary wind band repertoire. Featuring the premiere of Jeff Holmes' piece Other Roads, written in honor of the career of Prof. Thom Hannum, with Ian Hale as marimba soloist. The program also includes Rossini's William Tell Overture and a trumpet trio feature on Leroy Anderson's Bugler's Holiday.
The History of Salsa
33 Hawley Street, Northampton
Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m.
The Northampton Arts Council invites you to an exciting journey through the roots of Salsa music, culture, and history. Get ready to dance and learn from the best in the business as DJ Bongohead and Banda Criolla guide you with rhythm, harmony, and storytelling from Salsa’s Cuban, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American origins to its explosion in 1960s/70s New York City, and to the worldwide movement it is today. It’s a great way to get ready for this summer’s “Salsa in the Park.”
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares
Dan Weiss Even Odds featuring Miguel Zenón and Matt Mitchell
Springfield Community Music School
Monday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Whether it’s engaging in a friendly game of poker, or taking the musical risks that have made him one of the most lauded drummers in modern jazz, Dan Weiss relishes a game of chance. Weiss debuts a brand-new trio with an unorthodox process. Weiss enlists alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Matt Mitchell, both longtime collaborators, to navigate his intricate compositions and to engage with the drummer in novel ways. The new release, Even Odds, is due out in March via Cygnus Recordings.
Codemakers: Peter Sellars
Bowker Auditorium, UMass
Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.
Director Peter Sellars has gained international renown for his groundbreaking and transformative interpretations of classics, advocacy of twentieth century and contemporary music, and collaborative projects with an extraordinary range of creative and performing artists. He has collaborated on the creation of many works with composer John Adams, including Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, El Niño, Doctor Atomic, The Gospel According to the Other Mary, and The Girls of the Golden West.
Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North
Flynt Center of Early New England Life, Historic Deerfield
Opens Wednesday, May 1
As a corrective to histories that define slavery and anti-Black racism as a largely Southern issue, this exhibition offers a new window onto Black representation in a region that is often overlooked in narratives of early African American history. Through 97 remarkable works including paintings, needlework, and photographs, this exhibition invites visitors to focus on figures who appear in—or are omitted from—early American images. The exhibition comes to Historic Deerfield by way of the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
The Smith College Department of Theatre presents
The Art of Remembering by Adina L. Ruskin
Smith College Acting Studio I
Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Three actresses embody different facets of a young woman who returns home to bury her father. While there, she cleans out her closet, and as she rediscovers objects, memories come tumbling out. Touching on stories as diverse as a feisty Polish-Jewish émigré taking America by storm, an Argentine who stands against his country’s repression, and a woman who witnesses the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Art of Remembering reminds us of the beauty of life and the importance of our past.